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M-DCPS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS SCORE BIG WIN MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) and the 77,000 English Language Learners (ELL) in the District scored a big, meaningful win as the federal government reversed course to allow more flexibility in how the State will test students still learning English. The US Department of Education today approved Florida’s amendment to its Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver granting an exemption from the performance criteria for recently arrived immigrants that have been in this country for less than two years. "After two years of strong advocacy, today's announcement recalibrates federal policy bringing reason, respect, and fairness to one of the most fragile groups of students anywhere in America, English Language Learners,” said Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho. “U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Governor Rick Scott and Education Commissioner Pam Stewart’s support of good public policy alongside the voice of educators and parents alike is recognized and appreciated." Superintendent Carvalho today had an opportunity to discuss this important policy decision and thank both Secretary Duncan and Governor Scott. Florida was one of the first states to implement strong accountability measures for its schools. But when the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2001, it meant that Florida had two systems: the state’s and a federal one. In October 2011, the US Secretary of Education invited states to request a flexibility waiver enabling them to move to a single accountability system. In February 2012, that waiver was granted. The US Department of Education added criteria that needed to be reviewed, requiring action by the State Board of Education as well as legislation. In order to renew Florida's ESEA flexibility request for 2014-15, the Florida Department of Education submitted an updated flexibility application on June 4, 2014. In August, the federal government denied that waiver request. That same month, the Superintendent joined the Governor and the Commissioner calling on the U.S. Department of Education to reverse its decision. Superintendent Carvalho followed that request with a position piece that proposed five changes to the State accountability system. The first change was a revisit of the flawed policy that held ELL students accountable before they were even able to have complete command of the English language. Just last month, he traveled to Washington D.C. to negotiate the ELL policy with Secretary Duncan. "I am very pleased with the decision of the U.S. Department of Education to grant our request for a more reasonable method of including the performance of our English language learners in our system of accountability,” said School Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman. “This is an important step in the right direction and one that our School Board and Superintendent have been calling for." # # # 14-DGD/164/DGD
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